Early Years Foundation Stage FAQs

Reducing bureaucracy, alongside spending controls, has changed the way the Government produces and communicates guidance and other similar documents. The controls mean that hard copies of documents will rarely be produced and online versions are the default. Using a digital approach means that content and documents are easy to update, are easy for our audiences to search and adapt for their own uses and are low-cost.

No printed copies of the framework will be made available. There are a number of organizations which are providing hard copies of the EYFS guidance including;

Early Education

National Day Nurseries Association

Please visit their websites for more details on how to order.

2.Will profile points continue to exist in the new framework alongside the reports on whether children are meeting, exceeding or emerging at the expected levels for playing and exploring, active learning and creating and thinking critically?

The new EYFS Profile will require teachers to make a judgment as to whether a child is meeting, exceeding or emerging in relation to each of the 17 Early Learning Goals (ELGs). There will no longer be profile points scores. In addition to these judgments against the ELGs, teachers will need to make an assessment against the 3 characteristics of effective learning.

The guidance on the EYFS Profile will be available in the autumn.

3.I have noticed that Progress Matters is not available to download alongside the revised EYFS, is it still part of Government policy?

A number of pieces of guidance have been co-produced with the sector to support the new EYFS Framework, including, for example, an updated Development Matters and guidance to support the new 2 year old summary check. There are no plans to produce further guidance, or to update Progress Matters. The foundations inbox has received numerous queries asking for a revised edition of Progress matters which have been passed onto the DfE for consideration. We will keep you updated of developments through the Foundations Newsletter.

4.If a child does not attend a setting or access provision until they are 3 years old will there still be a requirement for the progress check to be completed for them? And if so, who would be responsible for this?

The requirement to complete a 24-36 month report only falls upon settings when children are being supported between the ages of 2 and 3. If a child does not access a setting until after their third birthday, there will be no requirement for a progress check to take place.

However, there is an additional progress check, called the Healthy Child Programme Review – carried out by health visitors when children are between 2 and 2 ½, which will happen whether a child is being supported by a setting or not. Parents may wish to share the outcome of the Healthy Child Programme Review with any settings their children access.

5.I have a query relating to the new EYFS framework, Is there further documentation coming out for nurseries relating to the statutory guidelines?

There are no plans for further documentation or guidance. However, local authorities, the Foundation years website or the Department can be approached for responses to enquires. .

6.Are there going to be any updates to the Department of Education’s Early Support Development Journals?

The Department are currently updating the journals to reflect the reformed EYFS. There is currently no date for the updated journals to be released.

7.Are there any changes from the 2008 framework regarding the administration of medicines?

The reformed framework does not repeat or repeal any legislation that currently guides practice when administrating medicines. The reformed framework allows you to continue the current practices you have in place and you should continue to consult with parents about both the practices and the needs of the children in your care.

8. Are there any posters or wall charts available that support the reformed EYFS?

There will not be any new materials for the reformed framework in the form of charts. However many of the materials previously used for the 2008 framework still offer examples of best practice and useful information for practitioners to implement the reformed framework.

6 Readers Commented

I understand there is a template of the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework that is a Parents' Guide that schools can adapt with their own logo and some text. Please can you direct me to this on your website. Thanks

If you go to the foundation years website home page and click on the purple box "EYFS 2012". The document you are after is quite far down the page and is titled EYFS for parents. You can downlaod and are supposed to be able to edit but I had a lot of trouble making it look presentable and ended up doing a letter to go with it instead.

Isn't it about time you published the guidance for assessment to replace the FSP assessment. We are trying to get paperwork and systems back in place after only being given 12 working weeks to put the new curriculum in place. A vital piece of info is missing. We are all very worried about the so called 17 assessment points that all have multiple point descriptions to define them. It looks just as cumbersome as before - please put us out of our misery - promising a seasonal publication date just isn't fair on us.